Synopses & Reviews
A biography of the famous eighteenth-century Quaker whose abolitionist fervor and spiritual practice made him a model for generations of Americans John Woolman (1720–72) was perhaps the most significant American of his age, though he was not a famous politician, general, or man of letters, and never held public office. A humble Quaker tailor in New Jersey, he became a prophetic voice for the entire Anglo-American world when he denounced the evils of slavery in Quaker meetings, then in essays and his
Journal, first published in 1774. In this illuminating new biography, Thomas P. Slaughter goes behind those famous texts to locate the sources of Woolmans political and spiritual power. Slaughters penetrating work shows how this plainspoken mystic transformed himself into a prophetic, unforgettable figure. Devoting himself to extremes of self-purificationdressing only in white, refusing to ride horses or in horse-drawn carriagesWoolman might briefly puzzle people; but his preaching against slavery, rum, tea, silver, forced labor, war taxes, and rampant consumerism was infused with a benign confidence that ordinary people could achieve spiritual perfection, and this goodness gave his message persuasive power and enduring influence. Placing Woolman in the full context of his times, Slaughter paints the portrait of a heroand not just for the Quakers, social reformers, labor organizers, socialists, and peace advocates who have long admired him. He was an extraordinary original, an American for the ages.
Thomas P. Slaughter is the author of several books, including The Whiskey Rebellion and Exploring Lewis and Clark. He lives in Rochester, New York, with his wife and two children. A Booklist Editors Choice Best Book of the Year
John Woolman was perhaps the most significant American of his age, though he was not a famous politician, general, or man of letters, and never held public office. A humble Quaker tailor in New Jersey, he became a prophetic voice for the entire Anglo-American world when he denounced the evils of slavery in Quaker meetings, then in essays and his Journal, first published in 1774. In this illuminating new biography, Thomas P. Slaughter goes behind those famous texts to locate the sources of Woolmans political and spiritual power.
Slaughters penetrating work shows how this plainspoken mystic transformed himself into a prophetic, unforgettable figure. Devoting himself to extremes of self-purificationdressing only in white, refusing to ride horses or in horse-drawn carriagesWoolman might briefly puzzle people; but his preaching against slavery, rum, tea, silver, forced labor, war taxes, and rampant consumerism was infused with a benign confidence that ordinary people could achieve spiritual perfection, and this goodness gave his message persuasive power and enduring influence. Placing Woolman in the full context of his times, Slaughter paints the portrait of a heroand not just for the Quakers, social reformers, labor organizers, socialists, and peace advocates who have long admired him. He was an extraordinary original and a model for generations of Americans. “The journal of the Quaker mystic and abolitionist John Woolman has never been out of print since 1774, when it was first published. Along with Woolmans pamphlets and speeches, the journal was instrumental in persuading the Society of Friends to give up owning slaves. In this meditative biography, Slaughter provides sensitive readings of Woolmans writings in order to draw a picture of a ‘prophetic Old Testament radical who practiced a patient and methodical mode of activism. Woolman balanced a workmans life in New Jersey with visits to Indian tribes and to Friends meetings in other states, preaching a doctrine of asceticism and human perfectibility.”The New Yorker
"The journal of the Quaker mystic and abolitionist John Woolman has never been out of print since 1774, when it was first published. Along with Woolmans pamphlets and speeches, the journal was instrumental in persuading the Society of Friends to give up owning slaves. In this meditative biography, Slaughter provides sensitive readings of Woolmans writings in order to draw a picture of a ‘prophetic Old Testament radical who practiced a patient and methodical mode of activism."The New Yorker
"Say ‘abolitionist and most people think of the evangelical politician William Wilberforce, or the anti-establishment agitator William Lloyd Garrison, or possibly the prophet-warrior John Brown. John Woolman preceded them all in anti-slavery activism and was an utterly different character: gentle, mystical, quiet. Earning his living as a small-town New Jersey tailor and schoolteacher in the decades before the Revolutionary War, Woolman challenged his fellow Quakers on slaverythey would, shortly after his death, become the only group in America to stop owning slavesand also on Indians, rum, war taxes, luxurious living, animal welfare, childrearing, and, most fundamentally, involvement in globalization and trade. Like the Old Testament prophets, like St. Francis, like Jesus himself, Woolman took his cues from nobody but God. He was an American original. Thomas Slaughter, a historian at Notre Dame and the University of Rochester, and himself a Quaker, has written a lovely and thoughtful biography, as sedately paced as a Quaker meeting. This is a book to read in a meditative mood. It should challenge activists with a unique model of advocacy, and inspire people of faith with its description of a Bible-drenched, ascetic, Spirit-filled, and agape-driven life."Tim Stafford, Christian History
"'Saints should always be judged guilty until they are proved innocent,' George Orwell said. Orwell is not crystal clear as to what they should be considered guilty of, but probably of fraud, self-delusion, woolly thinking, sheer bloody-mindedness, or all of that and more. Orwell's essay, 'Reflections on Gandhi,' is worth keeping in mind while reading Thomas P. Slaughter's superb study, The Beautiful Soul of John Woolman, Apostle of Abolition, because issues that Orwell brings up in brilliantly concentrated form are writ large in Woolman's saintly life. Slaughter, a professor of history at the University of Rochester and author of several historical works (The Whiskey Rebellion), says Woolman believed 'he was abiding God's call to work for social justice and the ascendance of spirituality over humanity's fallen nature' . . . This is the first full-scale biography of Woolman in more than half a century. Actually, it is a sort of book-length essay or meditation on Woolman's life, or perhaps a spiritual or philosophical biography, rather than a standard 'life.' Two factors may have affected Slaughter's approach. One is that spirituality, living to please God, was the essence of his subject's life. The other is that Woolman led such an interior existence that in his own writings, he rarely noted external events; for instance, in his Journal, which has not gone out of print since 1774, he neglected to mention that he had gotten married . . . Slaughter, himself a Quaker, writes admiringly of Woolman but by no means uncritically."Roger K. Miller, The Denver Post
Review
“Brilliantly written and researched . . . An extraordinary biography.” —Douglas Brinkley, Austin American-Statesman, Best Books of 2008 “Thoughtful and reflective . . . Thomas P. Slaughter treats Woolmans dreams, his life, and his death with subtlety and great sympathy . . . He also, intriguingly, allows us to see Woolman as others did not wish to see him . . . As Slaughter carefully and rigorously shows, from one perspective Woolmans life (both conscious and unconscious) was the story of an increasingly critical consciousness of the world . . . Slaughter suggests that ‘it is the extremes, not the complexities, that provide the mans measure. I may not agree. But that he has written a work both historical and ethical that can make that question a point of debate is quite the accomplishment.” —Michael Meranze, William and Mary Quarterly “We can benefit from a really good secondary source such as Thomas P. Slaughters The Beautiful Soul of John Woolman, Apostle of Abolition. Slaughters project is all about context and analysis . . . In the end, we do not explain Woolman. He explains us.” —John Benson, Quaker Life “The most ambitious biography of Woolman in two generations. Its strength lies in placing Woolman in the context of the Anglo-American Atlantic world of the mid-18th century . . . Recommended.” —T. D. Hamm, Choice “A masterful biography. . . Any understanding of the history of social reform in America begins with Woolman, and understanding Woolman begins here.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) A “superb narrative. . . In our own age of conspicuous consumption, the complex soul Slaughter so ably and beautifully resurrects is full of contemporary relevance as an example of principled living.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) A “thoughtful, scrupulous, enlightening, and engrossing masterpiece.” —Booklist (starred review) “Thomas Slaughter has accomplished the seemingly impossible task of rescuing a saint—here an Abolitionist Quaker saint—entombed merely in fame. This discerning, poetic biography discloses a Woolman far more powerful, both personally and morally, than even his famous Journal revealed. Few histories are more quietly riveting, more piercingly compelling. The Beautiful Soul of John Woolman is an amazing reconstruction of a daring human life.” —Jon Butler, Dean, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Yale University “Anyone who cares about this country will be blinded by tears while reading this story of a journey that America might have taken, a journey that would have reconciled north and south, blacks and whites, a journey that instead John Woolman made almost alone. Tom Slaughter has written a magnificent book about a unique American. The narrative is as gripping as a suspense story—and simultaneously heartbreaking. Ive read a lot about Woolman over the years, but nothing can compare to the insights Slaughter offers here. What a beautiful book!” —Thomas Fleming, author of The Perils of Peace: Americas Struggle for Survival after Yorktown
Review
“Brilliantly written and researched . . . An extraordinary biography.” —Douglas Brinkley, Austin American-Statesman, Best Books of 2008 “Thoughtful and reflective . . . Thomas P. Slaughter treats Woolmans dreams, his life, and his death with subtlety and great sympathy . . . He also, intriguingly, allows us to see Woolman as others did not wish to see him . . . As Slaughter carefully and rigorously shows, from one perspective Woolmans life (both conscious and unconscious) was the story of an increasingly critical consciousness of the world . . . Slaughter suggests that ‘it is the extremes, not the complexities, that provide the mans measure. I may not agree. But that he has written a work both historical and ethical that can make that question a point of debate is quite the accomplishment.” —Michael Meranze, William and Mary Quarterly “We can benefit from a really good secondary source such as Thomas P. Slaughters The Beautiful Soul of John Woolman, Apostle of Abolition. Slaughters project is all about context and analysis . . . In the end, we do not explain Woolman. He explains us.” —John Benson, Quaker Life “The most ambitious biography of Woolman in two generations. Its strength lies in placing Woolman in the context of the Anglo-American Atlantic world of the mid-18th century . . . Recommended.” —T. D. Hamm, Choice “A masterful biography. . . Any understanding of the history of social reform in America begins with Woolman, and understanding Woolman begins here.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) A “superb narrative. . . In our own age of conspicuous consumption, the complex soul Slaughter so ably and beautifully resurrects is full of contemporary relevance as an example of principled living.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) A “thoughtful, scrupulous, enlightening, and engrossing masterpiece.” —Booklist (starred review) “Thomas Slaughter has accomplished the seemingly impossible task of rescuing a saint—here an Abolitionist Quaker saint—entombed merely in fame. This discerning, poetic biography discloses a Woolman far more powerful, both personally and morally, than even his famous Journal revealed. Few histories are more quietly riveting, more piercingly compelling. The Beautiful Soul of John Woolman is an amazing reconstruction of a daring human life.” —Jon Butler, Dean, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Yale University “Anyone who cares about this country will be blinded by tears while reading this story of a journey that America might have taken, a journey that would have reconciled north and south, blacks and whites, a journey that instead John Woolman made almost alone. Tom Slaughter has written a magnificent book about a unique American. The narrative is as gripping as a suspense story—and simultaneously heartbreaking. Ive read a lot about Woolman over the years, but nothing can compare to the insights Slaughter offers here. What a beautiful book!” —Thomas Fleming, author of The Perils of Peace: Americas Struggle for Survival after Yorktown
Synopsis
A biography of the famous eighteenth-century Quaker whose abolitionist fervor and spiritual practice made him a model for generations of Americans John Woolman (1720-72) was perhaps the most significant American of his age, though he was not a famous politician, general, or man of letters, and never held public office. A humble Quaker tailor in New Jersey, he became a prophetic voice for the entire Anglo-American world when he denounced the evils of slavery in Quaker meetings, then in essays and his
Journal, first published in 1774. In this illuminating new biography, Thomas P. Slaughter goes behind those famous texts to locate the sources of Woolmans political and spiritual power. Slaughters penetrating work shows how this plainspoken mystic transformed himself into a prophetic, unforgettable figure. Devoting himself to extremes of self-purification—dressing only in white, refusing to ride horses or in horse-drawn carriages—Woolman might briefly puzzle people; but his preaching against slavery, rum, tea, silver, forced labor, war taxes, and rampant consumerism was infused with a benign confidence that ordinary people could achieve spiritual perfection, and this goodness gave his message persuasive power and enduring influence. Placing Woolman in the full context of his times, Slaughter paints the portrait of a hero—and not just for the Quakers, social reformers, labor organizers, socialists, and peace advocates who have long admired him. He was an extraordinary original, an American for the ages.
Synopsis
A biography of the famous eighteenth-century Quaker whose abolitionist fervor and spiritual practice made him a model for generations of Americans John Woolman (1720-72) was perhaps the most significant American of his age, though he was not a famous politician, general, or man of letters, and never held public office. A humble Quaker tailor in New Jersey, he became a prophetic voice for the entire Anglo-American world when he denounced the evils of slavery in Quaker meetings, then in essays and his Journal, first published in 1774. In this illuminating new biography, Thomas P. Slaughter goes behind those famous texts to locate the sources of Woolman's political and spiritual power. Slaughter's penetrating work shows how this plainspoken mystic transformed himself into a prophetic, unforgettable figure. Devoting himself to extremes of self-purification--dressing only in white, refusing to ride horses or in horse-drawn carriages--Woolman might briefly puzzle people; but his preaching against slavery, rum, tea, silver, forced labor, war taxes, and rampant consumerism was infused with a benign confidence that ordinary people could achieve spiritual perfection, and this goodness gave his message persuasive power and enduring influence. Placing Woolman in the full context of his times, Slaughter paints the portrait of a hero--and not just for the Quakers, social reformers, labor organizers, socialists, and peace advocates who have long admired him. He was an extraordinary original, an American for the ages.
Synopsis
JohnWoolman was one of the most significant Americans of the eighteenth century, though he was not a famous politician, general, scientist, or man of letters, and he never held public office. This superb book makes it clear why he mattered so much. A humble tailor known at first only to the other Quakers who encountered him at meetings in New Jersey, Philadelphia, and New England, Woolman became a prophetic voice for the entire Anglo-American world when he spoke out against the evils of slavery.Thomas P. Slaughters deft, dramatic narrative reveals how it was that the mysticWoolman became an unforgettable public figure, his gospel infused with a benign confidence that ordinary people could achieve spiritual perfection. Placing Woolman in the full context of his times, Slaughter paints the portrait of a hero—and not just for the Quakers, social reformers, labor organizers, socialists, and peace advocates who have long admired him.
About the Author
Thomas P. Slaughter is the author of several books, including The Whiskey Rebellion and Exploring Lewis and Clark. He lives in Rochester, New York, with his wife and two children.